Prof. Feng Zhang

Feng Zhang, the W. M. Keck Career Development Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering, is a bioengineer focused on developing tools to better understand nervous system function and disease. He has pioneered the development of genome editing tools for use in eukaryotic cells -- including human cells -- from natural microbial CRISPR systems. Using CRISPR and other methodologies, Zhang studies the role of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying diseases, specifically focusing on disorders of the nervous system. He is especially interested in complex disorders, such as psychiatric and neurological diseases, that are caused by multiple genetic and environmental risk factors and which are difficult to model using conventional methods.